Comments on: Pitching Your Projects

By: Emily McC.

Emily McC. — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 14:56:00 +0000

This site was recommended to me this morning as a place to read up on how to pitch a book. I’m nineteen years old and in a week and a half I’m pitching my very first book. I’m so glad I was sent this information this morning– for the last five months that I’ve known I would be pitching my YA novel, I haven’t felt any fear. Just determination to be fully prepared. This morning I woke up with my heart racing and my mind screaming at me, “What do you think you’re doing? You’re still a teenager! Who are you to pitch a book? Are you even prepared enough?”
Thank goodness an email arrived in my inbox this morning with a link to your blog. I read it and I already feel a bit more relieved. I am nervous and a bit, well, daunted by the fact I will probably be the youngest person pitching this year at the conference. I know as a fact that the youngest attendees are supposed to be nineteen, and last year there were only five people under the age of twenty-three, and I was the only eighteen-year-old permitted because I’d graduated high-school early. Does it mean I have no business being a writer? No, but it sure doesn’t mean I have confidence!
Thank you for writing this post. I am so happy to have been sent it. I will be sure to follow all your points and do my best. Editors are people, just like you said! 😀

Sincerely,

Emily

By: Matt Financial Marketer

Matt Financial Marketer — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 06:38:00 +0000

Pitching a book is like playing baseball. You always have to focus on your target.

By: Steven Hutson

Steven Hutson — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 19:10:00 +0000

I pitched my book to Rachelle at a conference years ago. I came prepared with a presentation that covered all of those points, but the only question she had for me was “what have you been reading lately?” I was totally unprepared for that one. It’s all good; I recovered.

By: How to pitch a book | Kristen Stieffel

How to pitch a book | Kristen Stieffel — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 09:12:21 +0000

[…] Now, I could go on for a long time about how to pitch, but Rachelle Gardner, who is an agent, has already written an excellent post on the subject, complete with fill-in-the-blank guidelines for you. So go read that. […]

By: Sexy Saturday Round-Up | Lady Smut

Sexy Saturday Round-Up | Lady Smut — Sat, 14 Sep 2013 09:50:50 +0000

[…] How to Pitch Your Project […]

By: Best of the Web Book Marketing Tips for the Week of Sept. 9, 2013 | Author Marketing Experts, Inc.

Fri, 13 Sep 2013 03:20:42 +0000

[…] http://rachellegardner.com/2013/09/pitching-your-projects/ […]

By: Top Picks Thursday 09-12-2013 | The Author Chronicles

Top Picks Thursday 09-12-2013 | The Author Chronicles — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 17:04:52 +0000

[…] Rachelle Gardner tells us how to pitch your projects at conferences. […]

By: Dan Erickson

Dan Erickson — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 13:21:00 +0000

I haven’t pitched. I don’t go to conferences. I do my best NOT to compare myself to other writers. I’m just self-publishing for now. At some point I’ll likely shop my work, but the time is not yet here. I have a teaching job and an eight-year-old daughter. I keep one foot planted firmly in reality. If and when I do pitch, I’ll have no fear. I write for myself, not for what slick publishers want.

By: sherpeace

sherpeace — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 03:14:00 +0000

In reply to sherpeace. P.S. Our pitches are only a maximum of 7 min. here in SoCal. That's why I needed to write my pitch on index cards. I was afraid I might forget something really important. It all worked all though; if I hadn't written & rewritten, I would not have been able to tell the panel the essence of my story.

By: sherpeace

sherpeace — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 03:08:00 +0000

In reply to sherpeace. Thesis "done," I meant.

By: sherpeace

sherpeace — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 03:07:00 +0000

In reply to Maria Polson Veres.

I’m glad to know some classes deal with the publishing industry. I got my MFA in Creative Writing and not once was there any discussion of how to get published or even any mention of it, like it was the elephant in the room that everybody was pretending not to see. Our very last assignment was a query letter, but, just as you might imagine, we had to research on our own “How to write a query.”
I found it all frustrating, only after the fact. I was so busy trying to get my thesis down, there was no time to think about it until it was all over.
I am glad there are people in the industry like Rachelle. Otherwise, I would be lost still. 😉

By: cjoy

cjoy — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 00:24:00 +0000

Writing means I have time to fix the words that go the wrong direction. So my biggest fear is tripping over what I’m saying. haha! But, I’m paying close attention to the posts like this and working to refine my pitch(es). Thanks for the great tips.

By: Michelle McGill Vargas

Michelle McGill Vargas — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 00:23:00 +0000

I pitched for the first time at a conference this summer. The agent was nice, but the mortifying part was being in a tiny room with four other agents listening to pitches. In the three minutes I had to speak over the noise, He said “Huh” three times. Repeating myself ate up half my time. Needless to say it was a no-go, but I was grateful I got through it. I’ll try again… one day.

By: sherpeace

sherpeace — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 22:48:00 +0000

I was mortified beforehand, trying to plan the EXACT right words. The 4 people I was pitching to (an agent, a publisher, a published author and a PR rep for authors), told me to put my index cards away and just tell them the premise of the story and who the audience would be.
They ended up giving me some really sage advice about a relationship my protagonist has. It made the story much more immediate and added more layers to the story, as well as making my protagonist’s experiences part of the “Secrets & Lies In El Salvador.”
I realized I still had work to do, but also that I had a great premise and story structure. Nothing was wasted. In fact, I may pitch them again this year!